How I Turned a $40 Swatch Automatic Into My Grail Watch
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2024
- This video documents several mods I did to my latest grail watch: a Swatch YAS108 with a skeleton automatic movement ETA 2841-1. I bought this watch along with a Swatch White Lacquered SUOW100 for ~ US$70.
Here's a link to the AliExpress Eakins microscope that I use product page (affiliate link):
s.click.aliexp...
My videos are for entertainment and educational purposes only. Critical / corrective comments and links to resources including other watchmaking channels are welcome.
#swatch #watchrepair #YAS108
You seem to be very erratic for a watch maker.
Thanks for this comment! If you watch more of my videos you'll see that my learning process involves doing and not being afraid of making mistakes. I value apprehension over rote skills and iterative creativity over perfectionism. I agree that historically the idea of the "watchmaker" is someone that follows instructions and performs micromechanical tasks with machine-like precision, but that is in part because that's what watch factories since the advent of the industrialization of watchmaking required. Fortunately that idea of the watchmaker has been almost entirely replaced by actual robots over the past sixty years and the art and craft of watchmaking has largely shifted focus to human creativity. This modernization of the idea of what a watchmaker is has allowed some of the most creative individuals today to create modern masterpieces of art and engineering by synthesizing their deep comprehension of traditional watchmaking with modern micro-mechanical manufacturing techniques. As you may have noticed I am in the early stages of my exploration of that realm. If you're interested to see what I discover, destroy, and create along the way feel free to follow my channel. If you prefer watching people with better skills and or deeper knowledge of watchmaking history I totally understand. You can find dozens of links to other watch-related channels that I am indebted to for both information and inspiration on my TH-cam home page.
That came out great! 👏🏼 So cool how you were able to customize it, and make it look easy. Now I want to see all that delicious lume glowing in the dark… 👀
I know, I know! Lume shot needed! I have another three hours of video of me luming the original hands that I have to edit for that! If you check the hands in the final shot it's the original hands with massive reservoirs of Superluminova! That was not easy to do! 😂😂😂
@@IMakeWatches OK, I went back and checked and now I see it. Those original hands had a really large spacing that you had to fill. I can imagine it took quite a while… I'm sure the 'bubble kept popping', if you know what I mean.😂
Dayton. Love the videos. Looks as if you, like me, end up spending quite a bit more on the tools than the watches themselves. Insidious hobby.
Thanks Glenn! I wish I had discovered the tools a lot earlier. I have definitely spent money on watches that I wish I could get back now and shift to my tools budget! That's part of why I love Swatch so much! Especially this YAS108! It's under $100, beautiful, automatic, skeleton without all the fake decoration that so many skeleton watches have, it's an ETA automatic, and its design is based on a case design by Gérald Genta! 😂😂😂
@@IMakeWatches just stay away from swatch system 51 repairs.
Sehr professionelles setup. Starkes Video!
P.s. Fehler sind nicht schlimm, man muss nur das beste daraus machen.
Danke! Ich habe Travis Scott vor Kurzem getroffen und ihm gefiel die Uhr so gut, dass ich sie ihm geschenkt habe! th-cam.com/video/B9synWjqBn8/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
Since the lume is repeatedly 12 times, I suggest to do a little set up to hold the "pen" at a steady level and shift the chapter ring over would have an easier and better result.
The lume thickens very fast (as it dries). Getting the lume onto the tip of the oiler and then getting the oiler into a jig would take time, and also the jig would not allow the manual manipulation of the oiler necessary to release the correct amount of lume onto the chapter ring. Tritec makes an actual pen that disburses luminous paint / varnish mixture, but it costs several thousand dollars and requires a large reservoir of luminous paint to be loaded so it's more for industrial use. I would love to find one of those second hand to try it out, because in that case your idea would work great, but without that a jig would, in my opinion, cause more trouble than it's worth!
Here's a cool little trick that I'm not sure if you know about with your Dremel, if you unscrew the collar under the bit, the plastic part, there's a metal ring inside that's squared off and that's actually a wrench for your bit chuck. You won't need a wrench ever again. Just unscrew the collar lift it up tighten it or loosen it and screw it back down. Cool huh?
I did not know that! I do recall vaguely that the wrench actually came with my 1990's 110v Dremel tool, and that I didn't get one with my 2000's 220v after I moved to Switzerland. Perhaps I should have read the manual! Thanks for the tip!
Best to use the right size screwdriver that fits the whole length of the slot to release the crown and stem as with the correct width screw driver it will not over press the release button and cause the usual problem.
Thanks! That's great knowledge! I did not know that!
for water resistance test, shouldn't one be using the pressure chamber thing? with the watch above water in a pressurise chamber, water lowered into water, pressure slowly released, one watches for any escape bubbles. if there are means, that's where the weak spot is.
Yes, absolutely! The more expensive waterproof testers don't even use water - they just use air pressure. Unfortunately I don't own either. 😢
Bonjour, quel est la marque de votre loupe binoculaire et où l’avez vous acheté ? Merci pour votre travail que je suis depuis la France de 😊
Merci pour votre commentaire! Veuillez consulter le lien dans la description !
Hi, nice video of your work. I have a Swatch YAS112 but the acrylic case back is broken. I read that it could be replaced with a front crystal, but the shape is different. Do you know where I can find a replacement?
That's a great one! I took mine to the Swatch store in Geneva and they offered to service it, and for some reason I think it was only about $50 to service. I asked and they said that the crystals would be replaced if there was any damage to them. I could be wrong about that price but they definitely said it was serviceable and the crystals would be replaced. I also tried finding the crystals at Cousins and on Ebay and couldn't find them either. My advice: take it to Swatch or Tissot or any of the Swatch group brands and ask. It's a very special watch and it is serviceable.
@@IMakeWatches thank you very much for your advice!!!
Perfect 😊
Thanks! Not so sure about the perfection of my watchamking work but I agree about the video! 😂😂😂
U did what u wanted to do 👍
Exactly! That watch is still my daily wear so it's not hyperbole to call it my grail watch!
Hi, nice video.
today I just realized, that the ETA 284x-movements just ETA 2824 without date and with a lower beatrate, did you reconized that ?
Thanks for your comment! The 2841-1 movement also has a silicon or plastic pallet fork and escape wheel and I'm not sure if the overall height and stem offset are the same as the 2824. Ranfft is currently down so I can't check that (although I think I have it saved somewhere). In any case I love the 2841-1 skeleton movement in this watch. and the fat hands with lots of lume make it very readable throughout the day and night. I would like to eventually put this movement and dial chapter ring in a more traditional case, also with a clear caseback but easier to open for service, so I will get back to this eventually in another video!
@@IMakeWatches Thanks u for your answer. I´ve got 3 Swatch Automatic from a fllee-market (what me cost 3.-€ a piese), but with crumbling plastic cases, now I think to try a conversion with a ETA, Seagull or NT5000-case. The thickness of my ETA 2824-2 movement look similar (but I don´t wil pull it out the housing 🙄) !
Wonderful 🔄⭕🔄
Thanks again my friend!
Do NH or Miyota hands fit swatch systema?
I don't know "off hand!" 😂😂😂 But you can check ranfft.org to see the hand diameters for various movements to see for yourself!
It seems you hate Swatch watches 😢
I actually gave that one to someone that I worked with that told me that they liked it. But since it was my grail watch I'll make another one. That said it's really the skeletonized ETA 2841-1 movement that I loved about that watch, and the Gerald Genta-designed case of course! 😂😂😂
@@IMakeWatches I mean, you do a great work with all these watches, my respect for you, sincerelly. 👍🏼
@@emanuelmoralesgalarza5038 Thanks! I'm just having fun. I'm trying to learn as much as I can with tools and watches that are not too expensive and to share what I learn. 😀